Inspect Armors’ flat schemes: HC to amicus curiae, counsel

The directives came while hearing a suo motu PIL based on TOI reports on deaths of 11-year old twins Priyansh and Piyush Dhar and five-year old Umesh Pande due to electrocution from HT wiresVaibhav Ganjapure | TNN | August 23, 2017, 16:00 IST

NAGPUR: In a setback to Armors Township builder Anand Khobragade, the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court, on Tuesday, directed verification of his four flat schemes which he was about to sell to the buyers.

A division bench comprising justices Bhushan Dharmadhikari and Arun Upadhye asked amicus curiae Shreerang Bhandarkar and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) counsel Sudhir Puranik to visit each of Khobragade’s scheme and verify whether those are constructed as per the rules and regulations. The NMC was directed to depute a senior official from its Town Planning Department to assist the lawyers in knowing technical specifications. All of them were told to visit the areas with sanctioned maps.

The directives came while hearing a suo motu PIL based on TOI reports on deaths of 11-year old twins Priyansh and Piyush Dhar and five-year old Umesh Pande due to electrocution from high-tension (HT) wires.

Earlier, the amicus curiae submitted a building map and brochure of Armors Township while informing the judges on how the builder shifted entire structure of row houses and also extended balcony, against the sanctioned map. He pointed out that due to violation, the balconies came nearer to 33 KV HT wires, that led to deaths of the innocent twins.

While strongly opposing builder’s prayers to lift restrictions on him from selling his other flat schemes, Bhandarkar raised doubts on whether those constructed as per the rules. Subsequently, the judges rejected Khobragade’s prayers made through senior counsel Surendra Kumar Mishra and Anjan De and told him to wait next hearing on Monday. Bhandarkar and Puranik were told to submit their report by that date.

While expressing grave concern over children’s deaths, the court had tersely noted that it was a systematic failure due to apathy of the multi agencies involved in implementation of rule and regulations. It added that the colossal loss of human lives, and that too of children is totally unacceptable, grim and heart rending. It stated that it can’t be a mute spectator, since the recurring deaths is an infringement of right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.